As use of large information networks such as the Internet continues to grow, so does the networking of two or more computers to share access to the network. For instance, while computers for a business are often connected to share a local area network, wide area network, and/or Internet access, it is also becoming more common for home computer users to install a network to more easily share Internet access, printers, files, and other resources.
Occasionally, a resource such as the Internet will become inaccessible for some reason. A user trying to access the inoperable resource via a network often experiences a long time delay before an error message is displayed. The error messages typically do not provide much information regarding the problem, and the user may have to contact other users or administrators of the network to determine whether they are experiencing the same problem, and what the source of the problem may be.